Our Mission
Create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
Our Vision
All youth achieve their full potential.
Our People
In addition to maintaining the dedicated services of more than a thousand matches, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area employs over two dozen staff members who support matches in all nine counties.
Lillian Samuel, MNA
Chief Executive OfficerLillian Samuel has worked in the nonprofit philanthropic sector for over 15 years serving in leadership roles in health care, higher education and youth serving organizations. She has raised over $50 million dollars as a Director of Development for a large nonprofit health center, Major Gift Officer for the top public medical university in the country, as a volunteer for several organizations including her alma mater and most recently as the Chief Philanthropy/Development Officer for Girl Scouts of Northern California.
Lillian began her career as a retail executive where she was a buyer for Bloomingdales in New York City, The Gap in San Francisco, Cost Plus World Market and Duty Free Shoppers (DFS), a division of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. She transitioned to the nonprofit sector after years as a volunteer Board member and fundraiser. Her passion has always been to lift up her community and work in a way that makes an impact. Her vision is to reach every child that desires a mentor.
Lillian holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a MA in Nonprofit Management from the University of San Francisco.
Stacie Schlenker
Regional Director
Rahwa Abraham-Tesfay
Human Resources and Operations Manager(415) 503-3939
Adrianna Larson
Development Manager, Annual Fund & Operations(415) 854-7365
Marynoelyn Jacob-Oviatt
Program Supervisor408-318-2333
Vanessa Dominguez
Program Supervisor415-503-4053
Karlynn Lee
Partnerships & Recruitment Manager510-575-0173
Ana Martinez
Enrollment & Match Specialist510-575-0113
Anna Carrizales
Enrollment & Match Specialist408-206-6085
Arthelle Porter Burns
Match Support Specialist707-215-5015
Camila Nunez
Match Support Specialist(408) 655-0228
Ginger Luna
Enrollment & Match Specialist510-414-9645
Hector Amaya
Match Support Specialist(510) 846-8431
Jahlan Loché
Match Support Specialist415-503-4351
Laneka Viney
Enrollment & Match Specialist510-340-9289
Melissa Garcia
Customer Relations Specialist(415) 503-4034
Sami Rios
Enrollment & Match Specialist415-323-4074
Our History
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes and monitors meaningful matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 – 18, in communities across the country to develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect.
Bay Area Wide
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area has been providing Bay Area kids with professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships since 1958, gradually growing to represent all of the Bay Area regions, at large.
With the first major Bay Area merger in 2006, three separate Big Brother Big Sister organizations — San Francisco & Peninsula, East Bay, and Santa Clara County — integrated into Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area to more efficiently serve the community and meet the increasing demand for services.
In 2017, we merged with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay, which had been serving children in Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano Counties since 1970, to further streamline resources. Effectively reaching the entire Greater Bay Area as a unified organization, we now serve children from nine counties in the Greater Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma.
Financial Statements
Your financial support helps kids to realize their potential, one relationship at a time.
The documents below provide detail of our carefully managed financial status. Every local Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its own IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements.
Careers
Make a Big Difference in the Lives of Bay Area Kids
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area is an exciting, fast growing non-profit with heart-felt goals. We’re committed to building a great staff: we offer a good benefits, competitive wages, and of course, a job that matters.